


Hey Kid (Everyone's Waiting On You, Kid)

by hittooclosetohome, Rockersweetheart



Series: I Like This Future [2]
Category: Jessica Jones (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babyfic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Jess Swears Like a Sailor, Kid Fic, No Season One Break-Up, Parent Jessica Jones, Parent Luke Cage, Supportive Luke Cage, as usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 12:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15840963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hittooclosetohome/pseuds/hittooclosetohome, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rockersweetheart/pseuds/Rockersweetheart
Summary: Jess wakes to the feeling of wet sheets.She really should have seen this coming, she and Luke are both beyond stubborn. Of course the kid’s already a contrary little asshole.Jess already loves this kid more than anything. She's just... not too excited about going into labor.





	Hey Kid (Everyone's Waiting On You, Kid)

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from an If/Then song.

Jess wakes to the feeling of wet sheets. _What_ _the fuck?_   “Did I piss myself?”

She’s still half-asleep, after all—she’s getting as much sleep in the late, _late_ third trimester of her pregnancy as she can, another few days and she’ll be over- _fucking_ -due, _Jesus—_ and the explanation makes as much sense as anything until the realization hits.

She _really_ should have seen this coming, she and Luke are both beyond stubborn. _Of course_ the kid’s already a contrary little asshole.

_Fuck. Shit. Fuck, okay. I need to—_

 “Luke,” she hisses, elbowing her husband in the side when he doesn’t so much as twitch. “Luke.” A little louder this time, shaking him for good measure.

It’s unfair, really. The man sleeps like the dead most days. Unfortunately, with the way the baby’s been so active lately, she can’t say the same for herself. Damn near every movement wakes her.  

“Ow. Ow, okay, kid. I get it, you want to come out now. Couldn’t give me a little more warning? _Ow,_ fuck, mother _fucker_ … Jesus _Christ, ouch._ _Luke._ ”

 A worse person might pour water on him at this point, but she isn’t _that_ much of an asshole… and as hard as these contractions are hitting her, she’s worried she might sink to the floor as soon as she tries to stand.

 Twenty minutes later, she’s wondering if she dreamt it… and of _course_ that’s the moment a particularly awful one squeezes its way down her spine, stronger than the last one. She can barely quiet the yelp of pain that leaves her lips, because _holy fucking shit, how do women do this more than once?!_

 Shuddering as she suppresses a vision of the worst case scenario—giving birth on their bedroom floor by herself with Luke still out cold in their bed—Jess rolls toward him, sealing her lips over his and huffing a breathy, incredulous laugh at the way he responds back almost immediately, even half-asleep.

  _Yeah, of course_ that _gets you up,_ she muses wryly, smirking internally at her own double-entendre.

 “Not that I mind,” Luke rumbles a few minutes later, smirking as she breaks the kiss, “but what’s brought this on?”

 “What’s brought this on,” Jess bites out, hissing in pain and repositioning herself in an attempt to find some relief, “are my sudden and _extremely painful contractions—Fuck me sideways!”_  

 She gasps sharply, hands clenching in the bedsheets—her favorite ones, because _of fucking course_ they would be, damn it—as she doubles over. The contractions are coming faster and stronger than when they started, and Luke is fumbling for his phone on the nightstand, good, they should probably call Claire. She’s got a feeling these aren’t Braxton-Hicks.  

 “I’ve been trying to wake you for a few minutes. Everything fucking  _hurts_ because a watermelon is trying to squeeze out of a hole the size of a  _fucking lemon—_ which is _your_ fault by the way,  _fuck you._ ” She’s panting by time she finishes talking, and yeah, they _definitely_ need to call Claire.  Luke reaches out, sets one hand on her lower back and starts rubbing in small circles, holds the phone to his ear with the other.

 Jess groans, low in her throat, rubs her swollen belly in a vain attempt to decrease the pain. “Luke, you need to check, see how far along I am to tell Claire— _holy motherfucker,_ ” her eyes are watering now, pained tears coursing down her cheeks, but she can’t bring herself to care.

 Luke’s panicking. Panicking and trying not to _show_ it, sure, but she knows that look. The reassuring smile he’s trying for doesn’t reach his eyes, and she takes advantage of a pause between contractions to reach over and rest a hand on his knee.

 “Hey. We’re gonna be fine.”

The effect is ruined a moment later, because _of fucking course_ the kid decides to shift with absolutely no warning, and _fuck this hurts, Jess is pretty sure she’s being actively kicked in the lower back._

 She sinks her teeth into her lower lip and tries to school her face into something close to calm. Judging by the raised eyebrow Luke gives her in response, she doesn’t pull it off, but she’s saved from having to explain that she doesn’t know what _fucking weird-ass position_ their kid has just contorted into when Claire finally picks up.

  _Thank fuck._

 Luke puts the phone on speaker, tosses it on the bed beside them. Judging by the tone on the other end of the line, Claire’s already in Nurse Mode. “ _Luke, you need to check on Jess’s progress, see how dilated she is, I’ll be there in ten minutes. Hell, maybe five if traffic isn’t bad._ ”  

 Jess barks out a laugh, “You ever _not_ on call? Jes _us._ ” She feels her eyes roll back as another contraction hits, gasps a little as the kid shifts again, more amniotic fluid gushing out. _Fuck._ She’d thought that part was over when she woke up with soaked sheets.

 Well, at least there isn’t a small foot pressed into her back anymore.

 They both hear Claire suck in a sympathetic breath, the line crackling a little as she moves around her apartment, the creak of her door opening. “ _Sounded like a bad one. Keep breathing through ‘em, I’ll be there as soon as I can. And Luke? Stop panicking. You faint, I can’t get your ass off the floor by myself._ ”  

 With that she hangs up, and Jess rasps out another laugh, meeting Luke’s worried gaze. “Contractions aren’t that close together yet, we’ve got time.”

                                                                                                                   ---

Five minutes later, Luke has helped her get her pants off— _oh how_ _she wishes that’d been as fun as usual—_ and Claire arrives in a whirl of concern and medical supplies. Jess groans at the sight of her.

 “I’ve felt better after _vigilante bullshit,_ and the pushing hasn’t even started yet. Mother _fucker,_ holy _shit, this hurts, this kid is trying to fucking kill me._ ”

 Claire chuckles, setting out the towels and snapping on a pair of gloves before crouching at the foot of the bed to check on her. She lifts the sheet that Luke had covered her with.

 “Alright, you’re further along than we thought. Should be ready to push soon.” Jess doesn’t think she’s imagining the note of apprehension in her voice.

 “Hey, we’ve got this. You said you’ve done this before, right?”

 “I told you I’ve _helped_ do this, and someone _else_ was doing the actual delivering,” Claire reminds them a bit tersely, but Jess starts speaking again like she hasn’t said anything.

 “You’ve taken classes and you’re certified for this shit, if I di—” She breathes deeply through the latest wave of _fucking earth shattering pain_ and continues, “If I didn’t trust you, I’d be in the damn hospital right now.”

 She might be there later if anything goes wrong, but she’s choosing not to dwell on that.

 Claire doesn't say anything, but the sharp nod Jess gets in response is good enough for her.

        ---

“Okay, Jess. Deep breath and push.”

 Jess does nothing to quiet the scream that rips from her as she pushes. She’s fucking _exhausted._ The kid is definitely already as stubborn as they are, because contrary to Claire's original estimation, it’s taken another  _fifteen fucking minutes_ of contractions to reach this point.

 “That's it, that's it. And relax. You're doing so good, Jess. Luke, get behind her and support her.”

 Jess lets go of Luke’s hand, melts against him as he lifts her up a little and slides in bed behind her. He presses a kiss to her shoulder, runs a damp washcloth over the nape of her neck, and she sighs as some of the grime from the last few hours is wiped away.

 “You’re so damn gorgeous,” Luke whispers against her neck, and Jess snorts, smacks him lightly on the arm. “I’m drenched in a gallon of my own sweat, don’t fucking lie to me— _holy motherfucking shitballs, why is everything burning?_ ” The last sentence is directed—panted—at Claire, and the nurse’s hand briefly comes up to squeeze Jess’ ankle.  

 “That’s the head crowning. You are doing _so_ great, Jess. Keep pushing, keep pushing, and relax. Great job.”

 Jess leans her head back against Luke’s chest, laughs on a shaky exhale, ”Any chance you could get this thing outta me _now?_ ” she pants unevenly, and she can _hear_ Claire’s answering smirk.  

 “Afraid that’s not how it works. You’re almost at the home stretch, alright? Just a few more pushes, c’mon!”

 Jess _howls_ , an animalistic, anguished noise, and pushes as hard as she can, squeezing Luke's hand. “There we go, relax. Relax, Jess. Oh, hi little one.” There’s the sudden, ear-splitting noise of a newborn— _their_ newborn—shrieking their tiny lungs out, and Luke and Jess both gasp a little.

 “Seems your kid isn't waiting to show off their lungs,” Claire chuckles.

 “One more push to get the shoulders and the rest of the body out.” Jess feels another ankle-squeeze. “Home stretch. _Gimmie all you got, Jones._ ”

 Jess roars—another awful, primal sound that Luke hates to hear—and then the baby is wailing loudly as she slides into Claire’s arms. Claire shushes her as she cuts the cord, suctioning out the baby’s nose and mouth before bringing her around to settle her in Jess’ arms. More thorough cleaning will need to be done later, but right now they both need time with her.

 “Congratulations, you two have a beautiful little girl.”

 Jess knows she and Luke are both sobbing. She couldn’t possibly give less of a shit, staring in absolute wonder at the _person_ they created because _holy fucking shit she’s_ here _and_ whole _and_ theirs. The baby flings out a hand to catch one of her fingers in a tiny fist and Jess grins.  “Hey there.”

 Claire is grinning too. “You guys have a name picked out yet?”

 Luke and Jess both take a few seconds to glance back up at each other, Luke absentmindedly stroking Jess’ hair back from her forehead as he asks “The one we’ve been thinking about for awhile, or--?”

 “Yeah,” Jess laughs tearily. “Yeah, uh—” She lifts her gaze to meet Claire’s, eyes glinting with mirth, “Matilda. Matilda Claire Cage.”

 Claire’s eyes are suspiciously wet, and Jess tactfully pretends not to notice, returning her focus to Mattie once again. “Don’t tell Murdock. I wanna see the inevitable stupid grin for myself.”

 Claire laughs, “Noted,” and Jess smirks as she feels her eyes close. “‘M so fuckin’ drained,” she mutters, and Luke presses a kiss to the side of her head.

 “Rest. I gotcha.”  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please review and let us know what you think. (Edited on 10/17/18 to clear up some lingering formatting issues/reword a few things.)


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